UNIVERSITY OF CEBU GRADUATE SCHOOL MIDTERM EXAMINATION Name of Masterand : Pavi Antoni D. Villaceran_____________________ Program : MBA – Financial Management________________ Professor : Roel A. Monsanto, MBA-HRM, Ph.D. (Cand.)___ Subject : BM 215 – Philosophy of Business_____________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ _______________ Instructions: Answer comprehensively the questions hereunder in your own words. Should you wish to include the ideas/concepts/theories of different authors or experts, please cite the reference material/s you have utilized. Although you will be allowed to use/include ideas from different authors, 80% of your answers should be your own thoughts/words. Font style is Avenir Book, size is 11, spacing is 1.5, size is legal and should be justified. 1. What do you think are the inputs to be considered in the formulation of the corporate philosophies? You may directly enumerate/explain or you may formulate your own model to make your answer more comprehensive. Corporate Philosophy is very important and basic concepts on illustrating what the corporation or entity supposed to project themselves in business world. Thus, maintaining a feasible and attainable Corporate Philosophy is very vital and primodial. In formulating the same, we have to consider the basic “ingredients” in doing the same. – by Roel A. Monsanto, MBA-HRM Ph.D (Cand.) to wit; 1. A mention of products and services 2. Care for people 3. Care for the environment 4. Projection of growth 5. Adopting to technical advancement 6. Care for the community 7. Continuos growth and development 8. Company image (branding and Positioning 9. Quality and Excellence 10. Internationalization/ globalization 11. Upholding Ethical Standards The aformentioned “ingredients” can be best illustrated in our Corporate Phiosophy, in University of Cebu Mission Statement. University of Cebu offers affordable and quality education responsive to the demands of local and international community - Serve as an active catalyst in providing efficient and effective delivery of educational services - Pursue excellence in instruction, research and community service towards social and economic development as well as environmental sustainability - Acquire, disseminate and utilize appropriate technology to enhance the university’s educational services, and. - Foster an organizational culture that nurtures employee productivity and satisfaction. 2. Using a diagram or a flow chart, explain how can we translate corporate philosophies into meaningful actions. Herein above illustrated chart is a conceptualization on how to translate corporate philosophies into meaningful actions. 3. All activities in the organization have underlying philosophies. In the context of philosophical abstraction, what branch of philosophy do you think are the ethical standards of an organization abstracted from and why? Philosophy is the search for knowledge and truth, especially about the nature of man and his behavior and beliefs in accordance with Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary. The Branches of Philosophy which directs all any other questions in very general sense, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Axiology, and Logic. Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy that considers the physical universe and the nature of ultimate reality. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that considers how people come to learn what they know. Axiology is the branch of philosophy that considers the study of principles and values. Logic, is the branch of philosophy that seeks to organize reasoning. For this matter, any other Philosophy thereafter set forth in any organization is an abstraction of branches in Philosophy. Among others includes, ethical standards of an organization that sets forth what is right or wrong or what is generally acceptable in the norms of the public. The same is abstracted from Ethics, under the branch of Philosophy, Axiology, that deals with the study of principles and values. 4. What is the difference/ what are the differences of ethics and morality? Cite a specific true-to-life example. Please refrain from mentioning any names of persons or properties. You may use code names if necessary. Conceptualizing the difference between ethics and Morality is shown herein above illustration through a Venn Diagram. For this matter, relating to a true-to-life example in my workplace where these concepts are used.It happened when my student, during our Mid-terms Examination was caught red-handed, cheating in my subject Entrepreneurship. Of course, the act of dishonesty by way of cheating is Ethically unacceptable. I called the student’s attention and ask his reason on such behavior. I was on the verge of sending him to the prefect of discipline for disciplinary action. Thus, consequently, the student reasoned out the said demeanor. He said that if his parents will find out what he did in his exams, he will be disowned and will be punished accordingly. Morality suggests the severity of his consequence, I opt not to tell his parents and the prefect rather, I warned and gave alternative punishment as to sending him in the prefect’s office 5. There are four major approaches/views in resolving moral differences. What approach in your opinion is more substantial? Justify your answer. The four major approaches/views in resolving moral defferences are as follow; 1. There is no Moral Truth – this Philosophical perspective believes that there is no ultimate right and wrong 2. There is no Universal Moral Truth – each culture has ist own set of rules that are valid for that culture, and we have no right to interfere, just as they have no right to interfere with our rules 3. Deep Down, We can find basic moral truth – This is sometimes refered as Soft Universalism. This Philosophical perspective believes that despite differences, people of different cultures can still agree on certain moral basics 4. There is one Universal Moral Truth – also referred as Hard Universalism. This moral paradigm maintains that there is moral problems and moral conflicts can be solved through proper moral reasoning. As discussed above, in my opinion, the more substantial approach would be the, There is one Universal Moral Truth. In a particular example where we both have different standpoint, we have our own set of rules and are valid fort hat paritcular culture, we have no right to interfere on anyones business other that ours. 6. From its pure and applied branches explain how philosophy became an integral part of business operations and management. You may use a diagram to emphasize the flow of your concept or idea. Philosophy is divided into two, Pure and Applied Philosophy. Pure Philosophy deals only with a priori concepts; concepts that occur to us independent of any experience or perception. While applied philosophy, it i soften identified with applied ethics, but although this forms a large part oft he area of applied philosophy, the broader term includes philosophical problems. In the illustration above, as Pure Philosophy progresses, to Metaphysics, under which, Biology, Physcis and Chemistry is a subtopic therein. Moreover, under biology is the study of Bacteriology, Virology and Botany. Under circumstances in studying Virology arises a problem that develops into somehow in Pharmacology and therein after resulted to a product used in business operations and management. 7. Cite a problem or a case which shows the problem of ethical relativism. Ethical Relativism ist he view that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends partially upon the beliefs and culture oft he person doing the action. The problem in Polygamy where in one particular instance, Robin Padilla an actor was actually married to Liezl Sicangco. In the subsequent marriage, he encountered unlawful doings rendering him to convert himself to muslim in order to marry multiple wives, including but not limited to Liezl Sicangco. Therefore, I cite the problem that there is no Universal Moral Truth, everyone side is acceptable so long as he/she will come to his defense on ethical relativism or that the said action is acceptable in his or her culture. The only moral standards against which a society practices can be judged are ist own. If ethical relativism is correct, there can be no common framework for resolving moral disputes or for reaching agreement on ethical matters among members of different societies. Thus, it is apparently useless to debate on topics that contain different moral standpoints. 8. How can the two methods of sourcing philosophical principles, the a priori and posteriori be applied in business operations and management? Priori Principles or deductive reasoning, relating to or denoting reasoning knowledge that proceeds from theoritical deduction rather that from observation or experience, invoking a general or universal principle and applying it to a particular or specific cases. While Posteriori, inductive reasoning, relating to or derived by reasoning from observed facts. Studying particular cases, observing what is common among them and obtain always a matter of probability. 9. Select one business notion from a philosopher and discuss why you think this notion is very relevant in the modern labor laws and practices. One wise Philosopher studied and observed that there should be interchange of service in exhange of productivity so that one from his surplus may supply the deficiency of others, then the husbandmen will have a superfluity of grain while the women will have the superfluity of clothes, MENCIUS. In relevance with Mencius studies, man should be paid by his wage not on the basis of purpose but fort he work done. For him, the formula of distributive justice is to each according to his productivity not his wants. Mencius was a confucian philosopher and was besat known for his claim that human nature is good. He has attracted interest in recent western philosophy because his views on the virtues, ethical cultivation, and human nature have intriguing similarities with but also provocative differences from familiar Humean and Aristotelian formulations. 10. There are six moral principles in business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Explain how these moral principles form the very foundation of business ethics and corporate social responsibility programs of a business organization. 1. Human Dignity in the Priority of Labor over capital 2. Respect for Basic Employee Rights 3. Social Justice 4. Social Dimension of Private Property 5. Option fot the Bottom of the Pyramid 6. Earth Responsibility, Green Business and Sustainable Development In the course of my study in Philosophy, I have been greatly influenced and filled with substantial knowledge on particular facts. Not to mention how to formulate one’s business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Accordingly, everything must be grounded on these basic moral principles. Thiis when a company exert efforts to improve society in some way. These efforts can range from donating money to nonprofits to implement environmentally – friendly policies in the workplace. As such, it is very important to distinguish what are those activities that we need to engage in in order to meet the standards and requirements in order to improve society, not just by mere feeding program. That is not how it should be, the moral principles suggest otherwise and must be abided accordingly.
